The Mangal ( ps,
منگل) are a tribe of the
Pashtun
Pashtuns (, , ; ps, پښتانه, ), also known as Pakhtuns or Pathans, are an Iranian ethnic group who are native to the geographic region of Pashtunistan in the present-day countries of Afghanistan and Pakistan. They were historically r ...
people residing in eastern
Paktia
Paktia ( Pashto/ Dari: – ''Paktyā'') is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan, located in the east of the country. Forming part of the larger Loya Paktia region, Paktia Province is divided into 15 districts and has a population of roughl ...
and adjacent
Khost provinces of
Afghanistan
Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is borde ...
, and in the town of
Tari Mangal, district
Kurram, Pakistan. Their land constitutes the northeastern part of the
Loya Paktia (Greater Paktia) region. The Mangals descend from
Karlani Pashtun lineage.
Mangals are known for their brave and independent nature, they have resisted the various militant groups in the region and other external infiltrators, nevertheless they have remained neutral in respect of recent conflicts. The majority of Mangals are spread across Afghanistan who among other Afghans have been attached to professions such as politicians, military commanders, teachers and scholars specializing in Pashto literature. The Mangal leaders are most recognized for settling tribal disputes and have established an unwritten code known as ''nerkh'', which the Pashtun tribes still use as a tool to resolve conflict among each other. A small number of Mangals residing in the present day lakki marwat District around 1500 AD along with the Honi tribe. Most of these Mangals live as independent in lakki marwat (kpk) and in Kurma Pakistan which borders the Mangal province of Paktia in Afghanistan.
Mangal tribe is also found in
Pakistan
Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...
's
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province mainly in area of Thall Valley and also in District Hangu and Orakzai Agency of
FATA.
A large group of Mangal's are living in the valley of kurram agency's areas such as Tari Mangal, Kutri Mangal, Gobazana, Haqdara, Gidu, Sursurang, Piwar tangi and Shalawzan Tangi.
Mangal tribe also found in Qematay Mangal nearer to
Tari Mangal on Afghanistan side. Mangals Of
Tari Mangal and Mangals of Qematay Mangal are relatives of each other. These Mangals on both sides of the border between Pakistan and Afghanistan are called the saver of the border. Tari Mangal, Qematay, Kutri, Gidu and Shalawzan are popular for tourism as thousands of people from different parts of Pakistan have been visiting these zones on special occasions.
Almost 70% to 75%
Mangal are live in Afghanistan side and 20% to 25% live in Pakistan side .
Educationalist and Political activist Syed Ahmad Shah also belongs to
Tari Mangal, Parachinar Kurram Agency.He is serving as a Principal in International Public School Teri Mangal since 2001. Mangals are living bothsides in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
History
In 1924 to 1925, the Mangal fought in the
Khost rebellion (1924–1925)
The Khost rebellion, also known as the 1924 Mangal uprising, the Khost revolt or the Mangal Revolt was an uprising against the Westernization and modernizing reforms of Afghanistan’s king, Amanullah Khan. The uprising was launched in Southern Pr ...
.
The Mangal tribal militia was one of the various militias assisted
Mohammed Nadir Shah to topple the
Tajik King,
Habibullah Kalakani. Consequently, Nadir Khan owed much to the tribes of Paktia, these tribal leaders were granted vast war booty and power by the new administration. In fact, the entire greater
Loya Paktia region was exempt from mandatory military service, which the rest of the nation (regardless of ethnicity, region, or family) endured.
The Mangal tribal militia was deployed in Northern Afghanistan shortly before Nadir Khan's assassination to oust an Uzbek Muslim resistance fighter,
Ibrahimbeg Laqqai
Ibrahim Bek (1889 – 31 August 1931) was a leader of the Basmachi movement. He was a member of the Uzbek Lakai tribe in Eastern Bukhara and led an organized resistance against the Soviet military in the early 1920s.
A religious conservative an ...
, who was using ethnic kin support in Northern Afghanistan against
Soviets in his homeland across the
Oxus river. Laqqai had been successfully battling Soviet troops, who had taken over his homeland of modern-day Uzbekistan, in what is now known as the
Basmachi Movement. During Kalakani's short rule as king, Laqqai was given support in the Northern Tajik and Uzbek communities and thus he recruited locals to fight across the river against the
Soviets.
Mohammad Nader Khan worried by this, summoned the Mangal tribe, amongst others, armed them with Soviet-supplied weaponry and motivated them by promises of war booty, to being dispatched to the north. Within a few months, with
Soviet
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...
support and systematic terror against
Tajik and
Uzbek locals, the Basmachi Movement were brutally crushed in
Afghanistan
Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is borde ...
and eventually in
Central Asia
Central Asia, also known as Middle Asia, is a region of Asia that stretches from the Caspian Sea in the west to western China and Mongolia in the east, and from Afghanistan and Iran in the south to Russia in the north. It includes the fo ...
and driven him back across the
Amu river, where
Ibrahimbeg Laqqai
Ibrahim Bek (1889 – 31 August 1931) was a leader of the Basmachi movement. He was a member of the Uzbek Lakai tribe in Eastern Bukhara and led an organized resistance against the Soviet military in the early 1920s.
A religious conservative an ...
was subsequently captured and hanged by the Soviets.
The Mangals also played a notable role in the late 20th century history of
Afghanistan
Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is borde ...
. The son and grandsons of the Mangals who toppled
Habibullah Kalakani were recruited in the
Afghan Army
The Army of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (), also referred to as the Islamic Emirate Army and the Afghan Army, is the land force branch of the Armed Forces of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. The roots of an army in Afghanistan can be t ...
and educated in
Soviet
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...
Military Academies. Consequently, they came back as ideological
Communists who eventually joined military corp of the
KHALQ
Khalq ( ps, خلق, ) was a faction of the People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan (PDPA). Its historical ''de facto'' leaders were Nur Muhammad Taraki (1967–1979), Hafizullah Amin (1979) and Sayed Mohammad Gulabzoy (1979–1990). It was also ...
faction and overthrew the Monarchy
Mangal Sub-tribes
Just like other
Pashtun tribes, The Mangal tribe also have their own individual sub tribes and clans which have their own areas within the Mangal terroritry
* Babu Khel
* Darman Khel
* Kamzai
* Hisarak
* Sulimen Khel
* Lama Khel
* Marghai
* Khajuri
* Gabar
See also
*
Tari Mangal
*
Loya Paktia
Sources
*Henry Walter Bellew. ''An inquiry into the ethnography of Afghanistan''
References
External links
Mangal/Mongol Tribal Tree Center for Culture and Conflict Studies, US Naval Postgraduate School.
{{authority control
Karlani Pashtun tribes
Ethnic groups in Khost Province